Self-imposed bureaucracy in municipalities: expedient administration or an unnecessary evil?

Abstract

Bureaucracy and rules have been subject to criticism for years. The concept ”self-imposed bureaucracy” emphasizes the rules that municipalities themselves have decided and implemented and at the same time plays on the negative images that are typically associated with bureaucracy. The article examines what drives the growth of internal rules in two municipalities and how managers and employees perceive the local rules. The emergence of internal rules is influenced by local conditions such as political attention and the wish to ensure equal treatment of both citizens and employees, but national conditions such as regulation also appear to be important. Contrary to common assumptions about rules in public organizatoins, managers and employees perceive that most rules make a positive contribution to the quality of service.